Planning the El Pilar Archaeological Reserve 25
Archaeology at El Pilar ~ Research and Conservation Objectives 31
Community Development at El Pilar ~ Building a Future from the Past 35
Ecology of the Maya Forest and El Pilar 53
Envisioning the El Pilar Archaeological Reserve Management Plan 59
Imagining the Administration of Shared Resources in the Maya Forest 71
The Bottom Line Funding Areas and Priorities 79

It is a pleasure to be a friend to all
This poem is written in my inspiration
To introduce to you all of my friends.

From its tall leafy trees and dark mountains,
And its many colored birds
And wild animals, has been born the sweet
name of "El Pilar"

Beneath its beautiful flowering trees
one feels whipped by a pure and
aromatic breeze
upon finding crystalline waters running from
their source.

One can distinguish a pure and
natural atmosphere
So beautiful it is to climb the high Maya ruins,
The beautiful Maya city beneath the sun's rays
filtering through the woods,
A look at its ancient plazas
will open a written page.

New friends and foreign friends
Sharing and remembering a past long gone
and a present changed
Through the destruction of flames its riches
have disappeared
In this beautiful city.

Also its own friends have made war
Killing its birds and animals.
Come friends, it is a sad thing to continue
crushing the beauty of our Country
Come friends, we must protect the forests,
we must prepare it,
Our children tomorrow may still be able to
discover the hidden Maya science.

I take my leave and go breathing a pure and
natural air.
We give thanks to the GOD that protects us

The newly established El Pilar Archaeological
Reserve for Maya Flora and Fauna is a unique
cultural and environmental resource shared by
the nations of Belize and Guatemala. Not only
is it an incredible educational and ecotourism
asset but it also holds great promise for its
scientific and cultural values. The ancient
Maya causeway that today links Belize and
Guatemala is symbolic of the diverse ways
that El Pilar can benefit the two nations while
enhancing our knowledge of the ancient
Maya.

In January 1997 a group of concerned profes-
sionals from Belize, Guatemala, Mexico and
the United States gathered in Mexico City to
take on a daunting task, to plan for the future
of the El Pilar Archaeological Reserve and
addressed the scientific, economic and legal
issues while remaining sensitive to the needs
of the local community. The working docu-
ments and
resultant decla-
S. ration are
contained in
this volume. It
is hoped that
this will serve
as a model for
future interdis-
ciplinary
conservation
efforts.

organizations who have supported and
encouraged the El Pilar Program to date, the
Reserve represents a truly a cooperative effort.
The goals at El Pilar range far beyond archae-
ology and embrace ecology, biology, commu-
nity development, ecotourism, agriculture and
cultural anthropology. Past funding and
support for these efforts reflect this variety of
committed interests: the Belize Ministry of
Tourism and Environment, the Belize
Department of Archaeology, the Belize Tourist
Industry Association, the Consejo Nacional de
Areas Protegidas (CONAP), the Comisi6n
Centroamericana de Ambiente y Desarrollo
(CCAD), the US Agency for International
Development, the US Man and the Biosphere
Program/Tropical Ecosystems Directorate, the
Ford Foundation, and the John T. and
Catherine D. MacArthur Foundation.

The ancient center of El Pilar and the
surrounding Maya forest is a beautiful and
mysterious place. For more than 15 centuries
this was a thriving city catering to a large
regional population. The group that gathered
at the Mexico City Mesa Redonda foresees a
day when, learning from both the past and the
present, El Pilar can serve the local communi-
ty once again.

On The Development of El Pilar ~ The Government Perspective
Acerca del Desarrollo de El Pilar ~ Comentarios de los Gobiemos

Department of Archaeology ~ Government of Belize
Departamento de Arqueologia Gobierno de Belice

Establishment of a Management Plan
The proposed El Pilar management plan iden-
tifies the necessity for the preservation of
cultural and natural resources. A critical
component is the incorporation of local
communities in the design and implementa-
tion of the plan.

In addition, the El Pilar Management Plan has
to be designed taking into consideration poli-
cies governing economic development issues,
tourism, and must be in conformity with regu-
lations governing the establishment of
Archaeological Reserves.

Administration
Vis a vis the local community, the manage-
ment plan must consider the degree of cohe-
siveness of the village. Village politics in
Belize can be polarized and problems can arise
regarding land utilization, water distribution,
educational facilities, and so forth. The
management plan needs to consider operation
in a changing political environment.

One solution to this particular problem proba-
bly rests in declaring the area a Special
Development Area (SDA). Once given this
designation, it is difficult for politicians to
interfere with the established mechanisms
governing such an entity. This designation
also identifies what the community can do,
thereby, mitigating against foreign control of
the lands.

The establishment of ecotourism in Belize has
a successful track-record. Tourism is still
dominated by large hotels and international
tour packages that bypass local villages. The
development of infrastructure for tourism

purposes needs to take priority. Emphasis on
small scale enterprises, local arts and crafts,
village and community cooperation can help.
The management plan needs to consider
implications of plans for an all weather road
from San Ignacio to Bullet Tree Falls with
respect to village politics. One such solution
could be aligned with controls at Caracol;
restrictions placed on bus traffic on the road to
El Pilar.

Education
Education of politicians and governmental
administrators should be another priority in
the marketing scheme of both the manage-
ment plan and site managers. Educating deci-
sion makers on the benefits of El Pilar will
help keep other politically motivated decisions
to a minimum. One effective method of educa-
tion should be carried out through mass
communication media to reach as large an
audience as possible.

Establishment of the Management Area
and Management Plan
The site of El Pilar is located within the multi-
ple use zone of the Maya Biosphere Reserve,
in a region destined for community forest
concessions. For this reason, although El Pilar
is located in an already protected area,
CONAP has taken the necessary measures to
demarcate an area designated for the manage-
ment of El Pilar.

It is important that we emphasize the need to
institute the Management Plan for the site
with the purpose of establishing a specific
natural resource management plan.

integrates the natural and cultural patrimony
surrounding the archaeological site of El Pilar.

The El Pilar project is based on the long-term
vision of recreating a model of the lifestyle
and utilization of natural resources by the
ancient Maya, permitting us to understand
part of their development and culture. The
integration of excavated ceremonial centers in
Belize with the conservation of the natural
resources and biological diversity of
Guatemala will form the hub around which
the El Pilar Program is developing.

The El Pilar Program is oriented towards envi-
ronmental investigation, archaeology, educa-
tion, tourism and the interdependent relation-
ship between society and the environment.

The El Pilar program will contribute to a rela-
tionship based on fraternity, friendship, and
cooperation between Guatemala and Belize.

We wish to invite you and your institution to
collaborate with us in the development and
implementation of the El Pilar project. It is the
responsibility of our generation to show the
value of our natural and cultural resources,
mitigating the destruction of the Maya legacy
and to constructing a future filled with hope.

The integrated relationship between the
cultural and natural resources of the Maya
forest are etched in ancient Maya community
patterns and well documented at the Maya
center of El Pilar. Today, El Pilar is situated
between Belize and Guatemala, and a contigu-
ous reserve is in the process of formation,
initiated by Belize's Department of
Archaeology and Guatemala's Consejo
Nacional de Areas Protegidas. In addition, the
combined efforts of the El Pilar Program with
both Mexican and Guatemalan archaeologists
have advanced a new conservation standard
for El Pilar and the Maya area as a whole.
This forms the basis of an international and
multidisciplinary conservation program at El
Pilar.

The El Pilar
Program, under
the direction of Dr.
Anabel Ford of the
University of
California, Santa
Barbara, has
broken new
ground by enlist-
ing the collabora-
tion of profession-
als from varied
backgrounds to
help create a new
way of perceiving
archaeological conservation. This view was
expressed at the Mexico City Round Table.
Insights brought to Mexico City have evolved
over several decades of research and field
work, and with the energy generated by a
privileged assembly the picture became clear.

Background
The seeds of the El Pilar Program are in the
settlement patterns of the ancient Maya, those
first agricultural pioneers of the Maya forest.
The value of the lessons of the ancient Maya
became clear at a research planning meeting
sponsored by the Programme for Belize.
There, scientists working in the New World
tropics examined the potential research
themes. Human influences past and present
featured prominently. Maintaining occasional
contact, I explained to Archie Carr III the
interests that were developing around the
initial El Pilar archaeological project and how I
wanted to include the community at the
outset. In May 1994, Carr included me at a
USAID meeting in Guatemala and I presented
my initial progress with the community orga-
nization, Amigos de El Pilar. At that time, I
also met with the head of Prehispanic
Monuments at IDAEH. This was the birth of
the notion of a contiguous park around El
Pilar. June 1994, Miguel Orrego of IDAEH
and Jose Sanchez of CONAP mapped a major
complex of El Pilar called Pilar Poniente.
Miguel Orrego joined the El Pilar Program in
1995 and Central American Commission for
Environment and Development (CCAD) spon-
sored the first binational meeting of technical
staff of Belize and Guatemala in 1996.

The 1997 El Pilar Round Table, sponsored by
the Ford Foundation, brought together for the
first time a number of specialists and stake-
holders that had to a greater or lesser extent
- been involved with the El Pilar vision. The
round table was conceived to bring specialists
from a wide range of fields to identify the
possibilities and address the uncertainties of
the novel plan. All were familiar with the
region, most knew the site, and some had met
one another. No one, however had been
together to discuss, debate and hammer out

the details of the El Pilar plan. With
combined participation from research and
development areas, a consensus on the general
goals was reached that fully acknowledge
troubling land tenure issues, economic devel-
opment problems, differences between Belize
and Guatemala, and divergent perceptions of
archaeology. The results presented here repre-
sent the structural, technical, and legal basis
for charting the research and development of a
contiguous El Pilar Archaeological Reserve.
The conservation concept for El Pilar,
designed to be coordinated through participat-
ing Non-Government Organizations (NGOs),
will create a novel eco-tourist destination by
featuring ancient community life of the Maya,
provide adjacent
villagers with
alternative devel-
opment opportu-
nities, and
conserve irre-
placeable cultural
as well as vanish-
ing natural
resources of our
world
heritage.

Today, the ancient Maya center of El Pilar
stretches from Belize to Guatemala.
Endeavoring to build on the wealth of archae-
ological experience in Mexico and Guatemala,
combined with the growing regional
ecotourism agenda of Mundo Maya, Belize
has spearheaded the move to bring El Pilar
under governmental protection as a new tour
destination. The goal of this innovative
program is to build a research and develop-
ment strategy for El Pilar that has ramifica-

This uniquely collabora-
tive program for El Pilar
provides the opportuni-
ty for professionals from
distinct backgrounds to
perceive conservation in
a way that integrates
the natural and cultural
aspects of both research
and development.
Collaboration among
participants from the
USA, Mexico, Belize,
and Guatemala is
designed to develop
basic standards that
spotlight the ancient
Maya center of El Pilar

in the context of the contemporary Maya
forest. Drawing on collective insights of inves-
tigation, interpretation, conservation, and
presentation, this focus on the El Pilar
Archaeological Reserve for Maya Flora and
Fauna Belize-Guatemala will inspire the
revival of El Pilar as a monument to the past,
an opportunity for the present, and a testa-
ment for the future.

The goal is to promote a model cultural and
natural resource conservation program that
includes an ecotourist destination, features
ancient community life of the Maya, and
provides adjacent villagers with sustainable
alternatives and realistic opportunities to help
bring them into the 21st century.

Belize/Belice
Department of Archaeology, Government of Belize
Management and development of the archaeology of El Pilar
Belize Enterprise for Sustainable Technologies, BEST
NGO involved in community enterprise development
Amigos de El Pilar, AdEP
CBO/NGO promoting alternatives linked with El Pilar
Belize Tourism Industry Association, BTIA
Promoting tourism participation in El Pilar
Environmental Law
Developing the legal basis for conservation at El Pilar

Guatemala
Institute de Antropologia e Historia, IDAEH, Government of Guatemala
Oversight and management of cultural patrimony
Consejo Nacional de Areas Protegidas, CONAP, Government of Guatemala
Management of resources of the Maya Biosphere
CRISARQ Consult
Archaeological Consulting for research and development
Asoc. para el Estudio de las Relaciones Internacionales, AERI
Legal counsel on international conservation in Central America
Cultural Patrimony
Counsel on cultural patrimony law of Maya sites

Mexico/Mexico
INAH Archaeology, Restoration, and Museology
Technical assistance and collaboration with conservation
Universidad Nacional Aut6noma de Mexico~
Centro de Estudios Mayas and Escuela Ecol6gica
Collaboration in research goals
HC /DC Herpin Carfer-Disefo Concepto/Consultores, Mexico
Landscape architecture and community development in the Maya forest

United States of America/Estados Unidos de America
University California Santa Barbara-MesoAmerican Research Center
Coordination of the El Pilar Program
University of Florida-Environmental Law
International environmental counsel in Mesoamerica
University of Florida~Tropical Conservation Development
Management planning and community development for El Pilar
Grinell College
Human ecology research
Wildlife Conservation Society, Mesoamerican and Caribbean Programs
Ecological advisor for El Pilar
World Monument Fund
Conservation advisor for El Pilar

The Maya did not suddenly disappear from
the lowlands as many authors and scriptwrit-
ers would have it. Today there are 3-4 million
Maya, speaking many distinct Mayan
languages descended from the same family of
languages spoken by the ancient Maya. The
descendants of the ancient Maya live across
the same region they always occupied -
modern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and parts
of Salvador and Honduras. The mystery is not
where they are, but why they abandoned the
trappings of their advanced civilization in the
Central Maya Lowlands.

The Maya, like the majority of native inhabi-
tants of the Americas, originally migrated into
the region via the Bering Straits when Siberia
and Alaska formed a land bridge. The initial
occupation of the New World is part of the
continuing story of growing population.
Asiatic peoples pushed their way into North
America, spreading through Central and
South America. In nuclear Mesoamerica, from
the Valley of Mexico south into modem
Salvador and Honduras, these foraging people
concentrated in highland areas and about
4,000 BC reached such great numbers in some
locations that they began domesticating plants
to supplement other food sources. At this time
there was little or no occupation in the Maya
Lowlands.

Settlements of incipient Maya emerge late in
the tropical lowland Maya forest. Around
2,000 BC farmers are evident but, archaeologi-
cally-speaking, they were nearly invisible until
around 1,000 BC. These Maya settlers started
in a simple way but evolved into a flamboyant
society that peaked in the second half of the
first millennium between the years AD 250-
900. After the tenth century, the great cities of
the Central Maya Lowlands were mostly
abandoned.

Archaeologists have divided the cultural
sequence of the lowland Maya into periods
that reflect the general developments. The
chronology of the Maya is straightforward.
Archaic foragers roamed the area in the earli-
est times, but it all really started in the
Preclassic when people settled down and
began to practice agriculture. The civilization
flourished in the Classic Period when the
majority of the largest temples and palaces
were built. This whole civilizational process
was transformed in the Postclassic. The trans-
formation follows the so-called mysterious
Classic Maya Collapse. Summarized in the
following table is the essence of this time line.

The Preclassic ( 2000 BC AD 250)
The Preclassic, also known in greater
Mesoamerica as the Formative, has been
divided into three logical time periods, the
Early, Middle, and Late. The earliest Maya
came into the Maya forest as farmers before
2,000 BC, but did not appear in the archaeo-
logical record for nearly a millennium.

The Early Preclassic Period marks the begin-
nings of agriculture. The earliest evidence for
burning and the cultivation of maize dates
before 2000 BC in the Peten of Guatemala.
Lake core sediments record the beginnings of
human manipulation of the environment.
These sediments show periodic probably
annual burning, and the increase in grasses
are indicative of human intrusions. However,
corresponding archaeological sites are hard to
pin down. Ceramics and household architec-
ture are associated with this phase, now
defined as roughly 2000 1000 BC. Much of

what we know about life during this period
comes from beyond the bounds of the Maya
area. Early Maya evidence is found at the site
of Cuello, in northern Belize. Dating of this
site is still controversial, yet ceramics from
Cuello are likely earlier than those previously
known from the area. Late breaking news
from recent research in the Belize River area
suggests this early period may be pushed back
even more.

Early agriculturalists from northern Belize
began to grow maize, fruits, cacao, and a
selection of root crops. Yet only part of their
diet was supplied by these domesticated prod-
ucts. There was still dependence on the boun-
ty of the lands and waters. Hunting, fishing,
and plant foraging provided an important part
of the diet for the first Maya a pattern that
would persist in different ways throughout
prehistory. Social organization was simple; a
family-centered life prevailed in those times.

The Middle Preclassic dates to the interval
between 1000 BC and 300 BC. Settlements of
the Middle Preclassic Period were numerous
enough to be recognized archaeologically
across most of the Maya area. This was the
time that the Maya moved from the coast up
the river valleys, ultimately penetrating the
interior. House sites were wide spread,
communities were small, and there was little
in the way of public architecture. The more
significant communities of the Middle
Preclassic were found peripheral to the interi-
or heartland of the Maya. The heartland was
virtually the last to be occupied, yet was the
area that developed so prominently later in
the Classic Period.

Coincident with the larger populations and
settlements comes the definitive evidence of
public architecture. Again, northern Belize is
featured at this time and sites such as Cuello,
Cerros, Nohmul, and Lamanai show major
building activity. As investigation progresses,
we are finding occupation and construction in
the Belize River Valley area, where scattered
houses have been recorded on extensive
surveys and public platforms have been iden-

tified in intensive excavations at local centers
such as Cahal Pech and Pacbituin. Recently,
buildings have been found that date to the
Middle Preclassic deep in the tunnel excava-
tions at El Pilar. This ushers in the foundation
of ancient El Pilar.

From 300 BC to AD 250 the lowland Maya
population continued to grow and expand,
resulting in greater competition for land. This
led to increased Maya settlement density, larg-
er communities, and the development of more
intensive resource management strategies.
Maya civilization began to evolve more
complex and elaborate mechanisms for coordi-
nating, organizing, and feeding the growing
populations. This is revealed in their settle-
ment distribution, architectural elaboration,
and agricultural methods. Among the impor-
tant institutions documented in this period
was the establishment of the bureaucratic
trappings of rulership in the form of Maya
kingship. This institution would shape the
social history of the lowlands on through the
Postclassic Period.

The Late Preclassic Period was one when
occupation in the interior around Tikal was at
its inception. At the same time the interior
centers were being founded, the centers of
northern Belize, particularly Nohmul,
Lamanai, and Cerros, were at their peaks,
commanding the loyalty of large domains of
established settlements. El Pilar, only 50 km
from Tikal, was firmly rooted by this time.
Major public constructions of platforms and
pyramids, found throughout different sectors
of the site, date from this period.

The Classic (AD 250 1000)
The Classic Period is defined by the appear-
ance and use of dated monuments, or stela.
The wide-spread use of dated stelae occurred
toward the end of the third century AD. Stelae
and altars recorded the political, social, and
religious history of the Maya using the Long
Count, a calendrical system based on multi-
ples of a 360-day year with an origin point of
3114 BC. The seven centuries of the Classic
Period exhibited tremendous civilizational

developments that were fueled by the steady
increase in population. The cores of the
massive ruins that we see today-monumen-
tal stone-vaulted buildings and huge temple
pyramids-were founded in this period.

The Classic is often divided into two periods,
the Early and the Late, separated by the
"hiatus." The hiatus was a time when there
was a marked decrease in building and the
setting of dated monuments, particularly at
Tikal. Recent studies have pointed to this as a
phenomenon peculiar to the interior of the
Central Maya Lowlands, probably brought on
by Tikal's involvement in a series of destruc-
tive offensive and defensive military exploits.
These conflicts were based on shifting
alliances among the reigning regional power
centers of the era. A few examples include
Calakmul, Naranjo, Caracol, and Tikal. This
interlude is variously recorded at these impor-
tant centers, but ultimately the problems
reflected by the hiatus were surmounted,
making way for an acceleration of the civiliza-
tional processes in the Late Classic.

All major centers of the region experienced
significant growth in the Late Classic Period,
especially El Pilar. This growth must have
been rooted in the sustainable management of
the region's valuable resources found through-
out the rolling ridge lands. For more than
three millennia, the Maya were able to support
and maintain their society's growth by forging
a dynamic alliance with their environment.
This alliance was a balancing act that, for 15
centuries, supported the development of the
Maya civilization across 40,000 Sq km or
15,440 Sq miles of space.

Toward the end of the Classic, the elaborate
civilization of the Maya began to undergo
changes. Notably, there was an increase in
conflict, probably due to competition over
scarce resources, culminating in a drastic
reduction in population. This is most dramati-
cally reflected in the complete disregard for
site maintenance. After this time, there was no
new construction at lowland monumental
centers. Residential settlements were not so

abruptly deserted, but they too were at last
abandoned. The great Classic centers in the
central lowlands collapsed first Tikal was
deserted in the ninth century. Building activity
was prolonged at many eastern centers right
to the end of the Terminal Classic as recorded
at El Pilar. Around El Pilar, however, occupa-
tion even extended into the Postclassic. This
was the time when the once magnificent
rooms, such as the Zotz Na of El Pilar, were
apparently converted to exotic dump sites for
flutes and figurines, as mere reflections of the
center's past glory.

The Postclassic (AD 1000 1521)
The end of the Terminal Classic Period has
been viewed as the final blow for the Maya
civilization, and the Postclassic has traditional-
ly been described as a militaristic, decadent,
and degenerate phase in Maya history. But
more enlightened views would see that the
militarism was indicative of a tendency
toward secularism and the resultant down-
playing of the ceremonial rituals that dominat-
ed the Classic Period. Moreover, many of our
interpretations of the Postclassic were project-
ed from ethnohistoric accounts of the Spanish
intrusions in the region, hardly an unbiased
source. Little attention has been directed
toward understanding the Postclassic through
archaeology, although recent research on the
period, particularly at Santa Rita in northern
Belize, suggests continuity from the Classic
Period.

The focus of cultural development moved
from the Central Maya Lowlands to the north-
ern Yucatan Peninsula, where the Spanish first
contacted the Maya culture. There was contin-
uous, albeit distinct, occupation from the
Classic through the Postclassic periods. Not
only did the people of Lamanai continue to

build and trade with their neighbors, but they
also continued to live around the center until
around 1675. The Spanish founded a mission
at Lamanai in 1570 and another at
Tipu/Negroman in the Upper Belize River
Valley. These were abandoned by the Spanish
during a revolt of the Maya in the 1630s. It
was not until 1696 that the Spanish conquered
the last of the independent Maya city-states,
the Itza of Tayasal in the Peten, the descen-
dants of the ancient Maya realm. The Central
Maya Lowlands, which today include most of
Belize and the Peten of Guatemala, are still
home to Maya who can trace their ancestry
back into prehistory as attested by the
patronyms of local villagers: Bacab, Balam,
Canchan, Cocom, Hobb, Mai, Panti, Pech, Pott,
Shish, Teck and Tzul, to name a few.

The Origins of Research at El Pilar

After the enthusiastic introduction to the
region in 1982 by Jaime Awe, then of the
Department of Archaeology, Anabel Ford of
the University of California, Santa Barbara
was given permission to initiate the Belize
River Archaeological Settlement Survey
(BRASS) in the upper Belize River area north
of San Ignacio, Cayo.

Advocating efforts to appreciate the full range
of Maya society both the monumental and
the mundane the BRASS project was
designed to examine the cultural ecology of
the Belize River area. This involved using
environmental and geographic information for
the area as a backdrop for the archaeological
settlement survey. The project collected data
that identified where the ancient Maya lived,
when they lived there, and what they were
doing across the landscape. The results of the
study have allowed us to assess the distribu-
tion of house sites and communities on the
one hand, and their context and relationship
to natural environment on the other.

The first field seasons involved the mapping
of all identifiable cultural remains within three
250 m wide transects, one ten km and two five

km long. Excavations were conducted at resi-
dential sites within the identified resource
zones of the valley, foothills, and ridge lands
and revealed a variety of archaeological sites,
from isolated field huts to large elite house-
hold compounds, not to mention monumental
civic-ceremonial centers. Their locations were
predictable: few and scattered houses were
associated with poor agricultural soils in
rugged or swampy terrain more characteristic
of the foothills while dense settlements,
including imposing elite patio groups, were
found in the rolling fertile ridge lands concen-
trated in the vicinity of the major center of El
Pilar.

While most houses displayed evidence of the
basic household activities of farming, storage,
cooking, and serving, a few exhibited

distinctions that spoke to other, more special-
ized occupations. Several, particularly in the
poorer zones of the area, were involved in
making the common stone tool, called the
"chopper," that would have served as the
ancient Maya machete for everything from
opening palm nuts to chopping firewood.

Bifacial chopping tool/Instrumentos de piedra astillada, de
dos caras

Rare in all the Maya area was the discovery of
an obsidian volcanic glass production
site in the ancient ridge land settlement cluster
we named Lat6n, about 2.8 miles or 4.5 km
south of El Pilar. An elite house at Lat6n is the
first identifiable obsidian blade production
site found in the Central Maya Lowlands. The
site yielded a concentrated stash of thirty-nine
exhausted prismatic cores behind one house
wall and production waste in another stash of
over 30,000 pieces of obsidian translating into
densities as high as 1.7 million obsidian,
pieces per m3. From trace element tests
conducted at the University of Missouri, we
know that this obsidian was imported into the
Belize River area from the volcanic highlands
of Guatemala from Chayal and Ixtepeque,
over 300 km or 200 straight line miles.

Communities of the fertile Belize River Valley
were made up of moderately sized homes
widely spaced from one another, and
contained everything that a household would
need to enjoy life in those ancient times. The
residents were able to afford a certain amount
of luxuries which are most often associated
with only the elite in other areas. Such unusu-
al privileges must have been conferred by
those in control of valley dwellers. Since the
valley alluvial soils are among the best in the

Maya Lowlands, but form only a small
proportion of the local area, let alone the
region as a whole, it is probable that they were
producing what today we call cash crops. In
fact, at the time of the first Spanish explo-
rations in Belize, the populations of the Belize
River Valley were producing cacao (chocolate).

Like other ancient Mesoamericans, the Maya
likely used cacao as a form of early currency,
money that literally grew on trees. These trees
had to be carefully tended, managed, and
protected; something a single family could not
afford to do on its own, if household subsis-
tence was an issue. The production of valued
crops such as cacao, and also cotton or tobac-
co, required extra investments that would
have sanctioned special luxuries. The valley
Maya may have received luxury goods in
exchange for faithful production of chocolate.
Luxuries of the Maya included blades made of
obsidian (like those produced at Lat6n), beads
fashioned from marine shells, and highly
prized green stone, such as jade or jadeite, and
other exotic materials. This arrangement
fostered a dependent relationship between
specialized farming communities such as
those of the valley and the elite aristocratic

administration at El Pilar. The administration
would have guaranteed redistribution of basic
foodstuffs produced in the ridge lands in
return for cash-cropping.

Not all were so fortunate. Other Maya lived in
the marginal zones found mainly in the
foothills rising up from the valley. People of
these zones could not depend solely on agri-
cultural pursuits. The dispersed families
which were relegated to these areas, augment-
ed their farming tasks with manufacturing
and trading of stone tools, pottery, and other
simple and basic household products to satisfy
their daily food needs. Consequently, they
could not afford many things beyond the bare
necessities of life; hence, few valuables were
found at these ancient houses. Such house-
holds relied on the central administration to
maintain a stable exchange environment so
that their household industries would net the
foods so fundamental to their existence.

While the settlements of the valley and
foothills of the Belize River area were adminis-
tered from afar, communities of the ridge
lands such as Lat6n were under the more
direct scrutiny of the local Maya hierarchy
whose apex was located nearby at El Pilar. The
ridge lands have the greatest proportion of
good agricultural soils and make up the
cornucopia of the region. Some 85% of the
area's settlement was concentrated in these
ridge lands that form only 35% of the areas'
resources. Here, in the ridge lands, we discov-
ered the great diversity of occupations and
ways of life of Maya society. They were
composed of both rural and central civic areas.
There were elite "haves," who controlled and
governed, and peasant "have-nots," who
toiled and bore the obligations associated with
sustaining the civilization. At the community
centers, elites managed everything from the
local farmers to the broader political agenda,
manipulated loyalties of lesser elite within
their grasp, and negotiated with peers of other
centers. This undoubtedly included far-flung
trade relations; we know that many valuables
recovered at lowland Maya sites were made of
material not found locally. Typical materials

include obsidian from the volcanic zones of
Guatemala and Mexico and jadeite from the
Montagua Valley in Guatemala.

As glamorous as the elite Maya were, the
majority of Maya were farmers who provided
food for the populace. Some, as in the
foothills, manufactured basic household items
that were exchanged for food. Still others
provided direct services to the elite, and in
return, were supported and patronized by
them. The most diverse of these people were
found at the major centers of the region. El
Pilar served as the focal center for these local
households as well as the wider communities
throughout the Belize River area.

The mosaic of good agricultural land spread
the ancient Maya across the landscape in large
and small communities as well as hamlets and
homesteads. Settlements in the ridge lands
around El Pilar show this hierarchy of
community size and composition related
directly to the amount of available farm lands.

The fertile lands are abundant in the
surrounding rolling hills and ridges of the
Maya forest. Small areas of fertile land
supported minor centers, such as Chorro, to
the east. Pockets of land, such as those of
Lat6n, had administrative temples associated
with elite residences. Other dispersed and
isolated spots of good farm lands would have
only field huts within or adjacent to them. All
sizable areas of good agricultural land had
comparable densities of settlement, approxi-
mately one house per acre. The larger the area
of fertile lands, the larger the community, and
the largest community in the area was El Pilar.

El Pilar is located 10 miles north of the west-
ern Belizean town of San Ignacio, between
Belize and Guatemala. The ridge land escarp-
ment where El Pilar is prominently situated
extends from Guatemala's Peten into Belize,
north of the Belize River Valley. Coming up
from the valley on the Pilar Road, you ascend
this major escarpment more than 900 ft, or
some 340 meters.

The area has long carried the name of El Pilar
and while the origin of this name is obscure,
the numerous natural sources of water speak
to the old Spanish word for watering basin or
pila, whose collective would be designated in
Spanish as El Pilar. Two local streams have
their origins at El Pilar, one to the east, which
we call El Pilar Creek, and one on the west
referred to generally as El Manantial (the
Spring). About 1.2 miles or 2.3 km east is
Chorro, a lovely, delicate waterfall. Not far
from the waterfall is a minor center named

Chorro, after the falls. The abundance of water
in the vicinity of El Pilar is rare in the Maya
area; the venerable ancient city of Tikal had no
natural water sources at all. The population
there relied on constructed reservoirs or
aguadas. The center of El Pilar is situated at
the edge of the interior ridge lands that begins
east of Tikal. At the point where El Pilar is
perched, the ridges overlook the eastern flat
lands that run to the Caribbean Sea. This situ-
ation provides a natural outlet for water and
in part explains its abundance there.

The center was recorded by Belize's
Department of Archaeology in the 1970s by
Joseph Palacio and the late Harriot Topsey, but
its full extent was then unknown. Recorded as
a triangle on the Department maps, Jaime Awe
saw that El Pilar was in the area of the BRASS
surveys, and, in 1983, encouraged Anabel Ford
to visit the site with him. From this brief tour
it was clear that El Pilar was large, and a
preliminary map was made of the major archi-
tecture in 1984 as part of the BRASS project. In
1986, also as part of the survey phase, prelimi-
nary excavation and rescue work was pursued
at the site. The first full-scale investigation of
El Pilar was finally begun in 1993 as a result of
support and encouragement from Daniel
Silva, at that time the area's government repre-
sentative for Cayo.

El Pilar has more than twenty-five identified
plazas in an area of approximately 100 acres
(40 hectares), ranking it equal with major
centers of the lowland Maya region. It is the
largest center in the Belize River area, more
than three times the size of other well-known
centers such as Baking Pot or Xunantunich.

The site as it is presently known is divided
into three primary sectors: Xaman (North)
Pilar, Nohol (South) Pilar, and Pilar Poniente
(West). The eastern and western sections are
connected by an offset causeway system
extending between two large public plazas.
The western section, including Pilar Poniente,
is in the Peten of Guatemala.

The Maya used a fine and durable limestone
extracted from local quarries around El Pilar,
and preservation is exceptional. Beautifully
plastered masonry rooms, imposing corbel
vaults, and monumental stairways have been
identified in illegal looters' trenches and
controlled archaeological excavations conduct-
ed in the initial stages of study. A preliminary
chronology, based on ceramic comparisons,
has revealed that monumental constructions at
El Pilar began in the Middle Preclassic and
continued with major remodeling completed
in the Terminal Classic. Occupation extended
into the Early Postclassic. This long sequence
spans more than 15 centuries and testifies to a
continuous, methodical, and sustainable
development in the area.

Through consensus, five major areas of inte-
grated research and development at El Pilar
have been defined. Archaeological research
drives the program; the reserve surrounds an
ancient Maya center, the Maya forest is a relic
of ancient Maya selection, the conservation
strategy for cultural and natural resources
pivots on archaeological research, and the
sustainable polycultivation model of house-
hold gardening relates to interpretations of the
ancient Maya community template. Moreover,
objectives of the contiguous friendship park
tie directly to the location of the archaeological
monuments of El Pilar: the ancient Maya
causeway that is destined to play a role in a
contemporary problem.

Resource management and conservation are
global concerns but local and regional
economic development plays an essential role.
Further, stewardship is a community issue,
and without local participation, the future of
El Pilar would be bleak. Government partici-
pation in Belize and Guatemala has been initi-
ated, local community involvement has been
established with adjacent villages and the
private tourism sector, and the regional
ecotourism market has a growing involvement
in the new El Pilar destination. These commu-
nity development links are critical to the long-
term conservation goals of the program.

The ecological component is integrated into
the archaeological research in terms of the
environment. Investigations of forest struc-
ture, economic plants, zoological adaptations,
and the interactions of cultural domains of
humans and the natural domains of the envi-
ronment are critical bases for interpreting the
long-term adaptive strategies of the ancient
Maya. Such interpretations form the basis of
the forest garden polycultivation design that
must have been the main source of subsistence

for inhabitants of the ancient Maya forest and
which can provide alternative sustainable
strategies for contemporary inhabitants.

The El Pilar Program is dependent on broad
scale cooperation among community stake-
holders, national governments, and interna-
tional agencies. The integrated management of
the shared resources impacts development of
the friendship park and the implementation of
the overall management plan. These areas
involve both governmental and community
participation to enact the ultimate design.

As the cornerstone of the program, the archae-
ology at El Pilar links both the research and
development components. Economic improve-
ment and issues of management and adminis-
tration are tied to the tourism aspects of the

reserve focused on the ancient Maya.
Governmental support for reserve manage-
ment, while seeking revenues from tourism, is
also related to resource conservation concerns
among the international community. The rela-
tionships between the varied components of
the program are mediated through an ecologi-
cal approach to sustainability as interpreted
from the past, as understood in the present,
and as projected for the future. The details of
the research and development components are
specified in the following sections.

1. To understand the ancient Maya center of
El Pilar in its regional context.
2. To understand the ancient chronology and
development of El Pilar.
3. To understand the role El Pilar played in
the Belize River Area.
4. To intervene with a clear research, conser-
vation and maintenance design.
5. To interpret the archaeology of El Pilar in a
clear and accessible manner.

The archaeology of El Pilar is driven by a
general research design aimed at understand-
ing the evolution of complex societies and
civilizations. El Pilar is the largest known
center in the upper Belize River area and
clearly played a major role in local political
evolution and regional organization of the
ancient Maya civilization. Current presenta-
tions of Maya development suggests that
centers emerged to organize and integrate

growing local popula-
tions. Interpretations of
the political organiza-
tion presents a view of
growing independent
hierarchies focused on a
center or cluster of
centers that coordinated
resources locally and
interacted across areas
within the region.
Regionally formed, yet
shifting, alliances
evolved over time and
across space. El Pilar
fits into this economic
and political landscape
and the research will
address these dimen-
sions.

31

The El Pilar Program conservation facet is
designed to ensure the best protection and
maintenance of the archaeology. To this end, it
is a prime concern that excavations take place
with conservation aims stated in the plan. The
education agenda will reflect the responsibility
of all investigators to ensure that research is
presented and published in a clear and acces-
sible manner. It is important that the findings
from El Pilar be used to educate the public as
well as scholars.

The method and style of conservation should-
maintain the archaeological integrity of the
monumental and residential structures at El
Pilar. Excavations will be conducted with
research questions in mind. Conservation will
proceed on the basis of the local conditions,
recognizing that environmental stability is

The maya house and forest garden/La casa maya y la huerta
agroforestal.
essential for building conservation. Exposures
of architecture and the stabilization and
consolidation efforts will depend on specific
surroundings. Interpretations of ancient archi-
tecture will be founded on research and the
style will evoke imagination, that is, there will
be no reconstruction. Careful exposures will
be conserved with the latest techniques, leav-
ing portions unexposed to maintain ambient
stability, to provide for a low maintenance
regime, and for future discoveries in archaeol-
ogy and conservation. The style will be one
where exploration and discovery is developed,
in the view of the 18th century explorers of the
Maya world: exposures of beautiful architec-
ture beneath the luxuriant forest canopy. The
development of a revisionist style for presen-
tation of monuments, in collaboration with top
conservationists in Mesoamerica, will place El
Pilar at the avant garde; there will be nothing
like it among the destinations of Mundo
Maya.

Conservation of monuments at El Pilar is an
investment in the future of our world's
heritage, consequently, it is important to train
local people in strategies that foster their
investment in the long-term maintenance of
the structures. Further, the design of appropri-
ate conservation techniques must consider
research into qualities of construction and
state of building conservation. Given these
parameters, and weighing environmental
conditions, each individual building will be
evaluated on its own terms. Examples of
architectural exposures, thus, will be varied

across the site. This would not only help
preserve the integrity of El Pilar, but establish
new and entirely unique standards for other
archaeological projects in the Maya forest
region, making El Pilar exemplary in this field.

Long Term Objectives

1. Develop a formal training program for local
archaeological masons.
2. Survey and investigate all the archaeologi-
cal remains at El Pilar.
3. Seek funding for the visitors center, facili-
ties, and amenities.
4. Promote publicity to increase the visibility
of El Pilar.
5. Advocate community participation in
Belize and Guatemala.
6. Develop guidelines and standards for
research and conservation at the site.
7. Maintain a catalog of all publications of El
Pilar research.
8. Seek funds for research facilities at the site.
9. Identify an El Pilar archaeological motif for
community arts and crafts.
10. Establish a contiguous park protecting the
cultural resources around all of El Pilar.

T he caretakers house at El Pilar was built with combined funds
from USAID and the El Pilar program
La casa del guardian del Pilar, construida con fondos combinados
de USAID y el program El Pilar.

34

Community Development at El Pilar ~ Building a Future from the Past
Desarrollo de la Comunidad en El Pilar Construyendo un Futuro en base al Pasado

Introduction
Community development for El Pilar is
complex, involving local desires for a better
life and global concerns for environmental
quality. In recognizing potentially competing
objectives, the El Pilar Program unites these
goals by linking the cultural and natural
resource conservation of El Pilar to the region-
al development agenda.

Amigos de El Pilar, a community-based orga-
nization composed of local villagers and situ-
ated in Bullet Tree Falls, has formed around
the Program as partner and beneficiary of
development plans. Such local community
organizations represent the ultimate stewards
of El Pilar.

Cultural Continuity in the Maya Forest
During the past two decades there have been
dramatic environmental changes as a result of
expanding agricultural pioneers. These
changes are related to population growth, the
consequence of which has been environmental
degradation. The extensive agricultural tech-
niques of these pioneers focus on monocrop-
ping maize without consideration of the long-
term implications of this system. At the
height of the Maya civilization, important
cities, like El Pilar, were surrounded with elab-
orate, intensive, polycultivation fields and
gardens. This strategy emulated the natural
forest structure and included multi-layered
forest-gardens of sun and shade enveloping
housing compounds dispersed within hills
and ridges of the region. These ancient settle-
ment and household patterns are diametrically
opposed to contemporary habits, yet formed
the cornerstone of ancient Maya civilization
and culture.

The ancient Maya used the same lands that
are preferred for extensive farming today.

Their system, however, was intensive with
shortened fallow periods, increased field labor,
eclectic combination of crops, and managed
regeneration that evolved as an alliance with
the forest. There was a clear association
between primary agricultural lands and the
regional Maya hierarchy: the greater the
proportion of good lands, the denser the
settlement and the larger the cities. These past
patterns provide the outline for viable living
in the Maya forest. With archaeological inves-
tigation of ancient Maya residences and their
reconstruction, using the local construction
techniques, a dynamic picture of the Maya
household will be portrayed.

Archaeological exposure of the residential
component of El Pilar will begin to evoke the
reality of Maya centers as forest-garden cities
for the local community as well as for touring
visitors. To accomplish these goals, we must
understand the diversity of house construc-
tion, maintenance activities inside and outside
houses, and forest-gardening strategies
around houses.

Interpretations of the archaeological data will
depend on villagers who participate in recreat-
ing house structures using renewable forest
resources, assembling the household items
with local forest materials, and designing the
household activities interpreted from the
archaeological data. This collaborative
approach fully recognizes the values of local
wisdom by incorporating it into the planning
stages and featuring it at the example Maya
house. Through these activities and their
maintenance, the Program will help shape the

A Bromiliad in the forest garden at Tzunu'un
Una Bromilia en el jardin forestal de Tzunu'un

cultural ties of archaeological research to
contemporary village life.

Today, village housing ranges from pole-and-
thatch and waddle-and-daub to clapboard and
concrete block. Inside kitchens, one can find
everything from stone hearths to gas ranges.
Outside, storage structures hold dried corn
ready for grinding and kitchen middens
contain remnants of previous meals. These
patterns of living have their origins in the
Maya forest. While there are notable differ-
ences in contemporary household life, many
cultural traits persist and are a source of conti-
nuity that villagers bring to the quest of recon-
structing ancient Maya life. Their participa-
tion in the interpretations of household life at
El Pilar will directly link them to the reserve.

The Polycultural Maya Forest-Garden
The ancient Maya forest-garden design is
polycultivation based on mimicking the natur-
al environmental structure. The strategy
promotes diversity and sustainability. It will
develop a mix of economic plants that depend
on available labor rather than scarce capital,
to provide a diverse subsistence base as well
as potential cash crops. Included in this
scheme will be nitrogen fixing legumes, such
as acacia and beans, and phosphate generating
palms, such as corozo or cohune, that together
regenerate soils depleted by grains, notably
maize.

Beginning a small-scale household plan, the
strategy will focus on basic investments to
bring the lands of El Pilar into a new land
management regime. Based on research and
the community knowledge of cultigens and
with the resources and support of the
Department of Agriculture and Central Farm
Agricultural College, with the experience of
the Guatemala NGO Centro Maya, the roster
of resources will evolve to be worked into a
dynamic planting design. This design, at once,
will provide an ecotourist attraction and an
alternative subsistence strategy for bringing
the community into the new century.

Strategy
The relationship between development,
conservation, and tourism has great potential
as a sustainable alternative for villagers of the
Maya forest. Today, villagers are distributed
along the road to El Pilar within the greater

Belize River Valley. Access to the ancient
Maya center of El Pilar is through the village,
presenting the potential for economic benefits
through the growth of tourism as well as in
the promotion of the cultural and natural
resources of the area.

Development
An overall design for village development can
be accomplished by defining the village and
surrounding landscape in the context of a
master design plan. The plan will incorporate
input from the multidisciplinary group of
investigators in archaeology, ecology, agricul-
ture and conservation at El Pilar. In this
manner the landscape architectural design can
be a critical link that synthesizes and reflects
both the interests of the community and the
concerns of the investigators. The results will
outline a development strategy for the local
community to help direct their actions
towards the potential benefits. Such a design
will be coordinated with community organiza-
tions.

The evolution of a landscape design for the
village will interactively determine the opti-
mal locations for the thematic developments.
Themes will focus on the regional and local
issues from the community perspective and
will center around a community cultural
center for traditional crafts market, cultural
presentations and educational workshops:

A view of the riverside village of Bullet Tree Falls/Vista de la aldea Bullet Tree Falls, a la orilla del rio.

The Project
/ The cultural center with a
crafts market, cultural
presentations, and educa-
tional events will creatively
S integrate the environments
of the area. Given the
S ecotourism links to the
Maya center of El Pilar, this
cultural center must articu-
late clearly with the ulti-
mate destination of El Pilar.

The design of this attraction
must invite the visitor to
the village as a feature of
n of the Forest the tour along the way to El
lel bosque Pilar. With this first stop,
the visitor will participate
in the development of the community and the
community will be encouraged to develop
new attractions.

Memories from the Past for a Promising Future A View from the Community
Recuerdos del Pasado para un Futuro Promisorio Una Vista de la Comunidad

On the Narratives
The following transcripts come from the
summary presentations at the Mesa Redonda
El Pilar in Mexico City. The speeches of the
Amigos de El Pilar cover the problems and, to
some extent, offer direction for solutions as
seen from the point of view of a villager. Both
speakers have hopes for a better future and
acknowledge the trajectory of change and its
impact on the current state of conservation in
the Maya forest between Belize and
Guatemala. These summaries provide another
convergent perspective between the communi-
ty development and basic research compo-
nents of the program.

Mr. Cocom has a living
place much more different
than others that are in the
heart of the village.
Around his house he has
a large place surrounded
by fruit trees, right Don
Cocom? The difference
with respect to others is
that it is a bigger place
and has more plants and
trees on the land.

The problem that we can observe in the center
of the village is that the houses are too close to
one another. Because of this, we do not find
many trees. This is why Amigos de El Pilar
has told us we can find a method for dealing
with this problem.

Another of our problems that we are
confronting is that the people of the village do
not have a clear idea on what ecotourism is all
about or that the people do not know what it
means. What I think the problem that we have
to develop so that we could promote our
village and capture more income from

But first of all we, the villagers, need to be
trained so that the impact of ecotourism will
be positive and not negative. This is one of
the alternatives that we think should work in
conjunction with Amigos de El Pilar, reaffirm-
ing that we have a future with ecotourism.

It has been about 100
.years, Bullet Tree Falls
was a small village
S with approximately
some 50 people,
including the chil-
dren. I am only 27
years, pardon, I say 57
years, but according
to the story of our
Maya ancestors, the
ones that came and
built the village of
Bullet Tree Falls were from the Mexican and
Guatemalan zone. In a short time it converted
into an English colony, controlled by the
English coming here, being a zone of high
bush jungle, not exploited. Now this I
want to say, that it was not yet cut down by
our farmers. The reason was because the
population was small. At this time they start-
ed to cut or fall the high bush, little by little,
until they reached the higher mountains above
Bullet Tree Falls, close to El Pilar some 7 and a
half miles north. Now it only exists in low
bush, like secondary bush.

It has been some 24 years, I did not have the
vision to have an idea that on this time I was
going to be a man that was going to present
something that now we are wanting to make
good. I obtained a piece of land which is

approximately 15 acres. I live in the zone of
this place at the banks of the river. I have
approximately 1 acre of land where I live, like
my companion Marcos Garcia has said, and it
is already covered with fruit trees, hardwood
trees and other local types of trees, and then I
have an agricultural lot that is approximately
1 kilometer from where I live going up Paslow
Falls road.

It has been about 25 years, like I have said. I
started, like everyone else, to fall the bush.
The first years I cleared the 15 acres of land.
But then, an idea came to me. And I said, I am
destroying my lands, I say the little animals,
birds and four-legged animals, something like
that, they are getting scared, running away.
And I got a great sadness. So I then selected a
part of the land to let it grow as jungle. And
now in these days I am seeing that it is all
worth the effort, even if it is surrounded with
low bush. I have a piece that is becoming a
jungle and I see that from time to time the
birds, Toucan, others, I see them coming from
the high jungles of Guatemala to my piece of
land, willing to stop at this little parcel of 15
acres. Also other animals come to the same
zone, that is on this piece of land. I feel
myself happy proud because I see them,
they make my heart feel happy rejoice -
because of their noise, the fluttering and songs
of the birds.

Well, it has been not too long ago, like about
two weeks, since I had a deer, it was already
big, his horns were small. It was very tame. It
would not even run, but I couldn't catch him.
He would stand still when I see him and
wouldn't run away. He would just watch you
because he was accustomed to being by the
ranch. It was his road, he passed and passed
and went to drink water in the river. Well two
weeks ago I was not here, I was out for a time,
for otherwise a hunter with his dog wouldn't
have gotten on the land nor would I have let
them carry a gun, but there they were, and
BOOM! he shot my deer. If I was there, not
even DEAD would he take it out.

So, it must have been about two years ago, or
about a year ago, that Anabel and Constanza
started their forest garden and invited me to
take a look. So I began working around El
Pilar. In this area that appears on our map, we
now have a part we planted, trees we put in,
valuable trees like Santa Maria, Mahogany, for
example. We have about 200 plants, another
few we brought from what remains of the
Belizean jungle. We brought about 20 to this
place, and I planted with the idea that in time,
when these trees have grown, more birds will
come from Guatemala, those birds that live in
the high bush there, and they will come and
inhabit this place.

Well, I think this is a good beginning, what we
are trying to do to renew, that is, recover and
replant lost trees that were destroyed by our
fathers. I speak so because it is certain I
participated in this. But, of course, it wasn't
intentional what I did, that is, it was a necessi-
ty to find a means of survive.

Yes, we see that Bullet Tree Falls is big grow-
ing; 1,900 inhabitants. There are many
students, but maybe the students are not inter-
ested in ecotourism, one student wants a
profession and other students want other
things, and so on. Well that's the world. And
then we think that by educating our people,
like I have said, we could get lots of things
and with the help of organizations in the
Maya world.

Well when we say that we await the help in
this part, I think that yes we could get the help
from very kindly people and with the help of
our powerful God. Yes, we are going get what
we desire for our community of Bullet Tree
Falls and also the future of surrounding
communities, as well as the indigenous
peoples.

We can observe the importance of the village view of the world. The large towns of San Ignacio, Santa
Elena, Benque Viejo, and Melchor de Mencos are represented as small localities in comparison to the
village of Bullet Tree Falls. In addition, there is no boundary between Benque (Belize) and Melchor
(Guatemala).
Note: The future view shows that El Pilar is part of the picture.

Town of Melchor de Mencos, Guatemala
Town of Benque Viejo del Carmen, Belize
Village of Calla Creek, Belize
Town of San Ignacio, Belize
Town of Santa Elena, Belize
Agricultural Zone
Working Zone
Habitation
Growth
Multiple Uses
Buffer Zone

47

J

Amigos de El Pilar Purpose of the Organization
Amigos de El Pilar Prop6sitos de la Organizaci6n

Amigos de El Pilar (AdEP) is a group orga-
nized in Bullet Tree Falls by the residents of
the riverside community in 1993. The objec-
tives of AdEP are to participate and support in
the establishment of the El Pilar
Archaeological Reserve for Maya Flora and
Fauna. AdEP has a vision for the future and
hopes to raise the standard of living through
ecotourism by implementing activities that
complement the goals of the El Pilar
Archaeological Reserve and developing new
work opportunities and education on conser-
vation of flora, fauna, and the archaeology of
the Maya forest.

To realize these objectives, the founding
members took action and formally established
Amigos de El Pilar in Belize on the 7th of
September 1994. At the moment, the group
has 53 members of which 39 are active. The
organization now has its own site on commu-
nity lands with a roofed slab structure where
AdEP members meet every two weeks. At
these meetings, members discuss plans and
desire for more development, more education,
and more publicity. Part of these plans are to
convert the structure into a Cultural Center,
called Be Pukte (Bullet Tree Road in Mayan)
which would be used for education on the
importance of biodiversity and sustainable
alternatives for living with our environment.
Our activities revolve directly around these
goals.

Amigos de El Pilar has dreams, visions, and
hopes for the future. The group has taken
steps to start a forest orchard garden at the
group's site, Be Pukte. We are collecting seeds
and seedlings donated from within the group.
This will be an example for another at El Pilar
because in this way the group will be involved
in more activities, more promotions, more

work, and more education. And the commu-
nity will be in a position to take advantage of
all that El Pilar can offer. The group is very,
but very, interested in the El Pilar
Archaeological Reserve for Maya Flora and
Fauna. Dear reader, we hope that you will
help and support us to make these dreams to
become a reality and together we can have a
better future.

1992
May/June Daniel Silva, Area Representative,
supports community clearing of the plazas at
El Pilar.

1993
Two meetings with the community leaders in
Bullet Tree Falls to discuss the idea of an orga-
nization related to plans at El Pilar.
June 30 the name Amigos de El Pilar. was
decided. First officers were elected President
Angel Teck, Vice president Abel Manzanero,
Secretary Sandra Manzanero, Treasurer Fred
Prost

1995
15 general meetings of membership
6 events were held.
26 February Election of a new President,
Marcos Garcia
19 March Presentation of Teo's Way
May/June Participation of President Marcos
in Mobile TNC workshops
27 May BTF Agricultural Fair
10 June Fiesta El Pilar
July Global Roots project
August/September UWI Workshops
17 September Bicycle Race

1996
16 general meetings
4 events
17 March The group elected Prisilla Canchan
as Secretary
Presentation of funds to Leukemia victim
President Marcos Garcia Reviews El Pilar from
Helicopter, courtesy of 25 Flight, APC
8 June Landscape workshop at Duplooy's

El Pilar is a major Maya archeological site with
components located in Cayo, Belize and Peten,
Guatemala. This site presents an opportunity
to explore the concept of "multiple use" of the
natural resources of the greater Maya Forest in
ways that have not yet been attempted.
Success in such an endeavor would provide
benefits to Mexico, Guatemala and Belize,
countries with direct responsibility for
management and conservation of the Maya
forest, the largest contiguous tropical forest
remaining in Mesoamerica.

As with many of the archeological treasures of
the Maya forest, El Pilar is situated within a
standing forest. On the Guatemalan side, the
surrounding forest is extremely extensive. On
the Belizean side, forest cover is limited to the
immediate vicinity of the archeological struc-
tures themselves, and gives way quickly to an
agricultural landscape in all directions east of
the north-south oriented frontier of the Peten.

The site itself is protected in both countries. In
Belize, El Pilar is a designated Archeological
Reserve. The surrounding landscape is mostly
government owned, but may be designated as
a Special Development Area (SDA) In
Guatemala, El Pilar, like all such sites, is
protected as national patrimony surrounded
by forest within the Maya Biosphere Reserve
under the jurisdiction of IDEAH and CONAP.

Considering both sides of the frontier at once,
it is possible to conceive of the El Pilar site in
conventional park management terms as a
strictly protected nuclear zone surrounded by
a buffer zone to be used in ways compatible
with biodiversity conservation, including
research and development.

In recent years, archeological research at El
Pilar has begun to illuminate the economics
and organization of the ancient Maya culture

and society. Although it remains clear that
maize was an essential and abundant staple in
the diet of the apparently very large, dense
populations of people living in the Classic
Period, the findings at El Pilar suggest that the
landscape of those times was by no means an
endless monoculture of corn. It has become
increasingly apparent that corn cultivation
was balanced with extraction from natural
forests and from "managed" forests for food,
fibers, building materials and fuel, essential to
the lives of the inhabitants of the Maya forest.
Interpretation of archaeological surveys of
settlements and other artifacts indicates that
the Maya had developed a sense of land-use
capability.

It becomes an inescapable conclusion that the
Maya had evolved a lore or science that took
account of soil chemistry and structure, slope,
drainage, micro-climate, forest composition
and ecological succession. From these insights,
the Maya developed complex and strategic
uses of the landscape in the past.

Are there lessons to be learned from the
ancient Maya that would be helpful to the
survival of modern society whether in the
Maya forest, or elsewhere in the world? Did
the Maya achieve a balance with nature? To
answer the question is to confront a perplex-
ing paradox. Whereas, unlike the deserts of
Mesopotamia and other Mediterranean foci of
civilization, the Maya forest is today one of
the great forests of the Neotropics, but the
Maya themselves, the civilization, does not
survive.

Leaving that paradox unresolved, it is valid to
consider that a sophisticated land use evolved
in the ancient Maya forest that was main-
tained for centuries; and for centuries was able
to support one of the highest densities of
human populations living in the New World.
The proposal suggests that there are lessons to
be learned from the ancient Maya-lessons of
contemporary utility to life in and around the
Maya forest, and, potentially, of both academic
and practical importance in understanding the
evolution and decline of the Maya civilization.

Research at the Belizean component of El Pilar
has already established a living model of a
house compound where a Maya family once
thrived. With both demonstration and
research values, the site will include plots of
cultivation of staples like maize, but also, near
the dwellings, plants of use, such as herbs,
medicines and even ornamentals. On a broad-
er scale, the model aldea or village will
include a forest garden. This term suggests
that forests were manipulated on a scale that
was much more extensive than the patio or
immediate surroundings of a house. The
maintenance of forest gardens by the Maya
suggests that trees and plants with certain
values were mapped
and preserved for
those uses. It
suggests that forests
were possibly
enriched, to use a
contemporary term
in forest manage-
ment. Enrichment
may call for the-
planting of desirable
trees, and even
techniques use chainsaws as deliberately remov-
the past. ing less desirable
de instruments de piedra como species to give
nica de tumbar y quemar para la competitive advan-

tage to the valued
types.

The forest garden implies rotating milpa, or
slash and bum agriculture, a practice which
results in a mosaic of more and less mature
serial stages of forest recovery. Importantly,
classical ecology states that the net productivi-
ty of young forest is greater than a mature
forest. If evidence suggest that the Maya were
aware of this principle of energetic, did they
manage for it, consciously? Unconsciously?

Given that large domesticated animals are
unheard of in the Maya culture, it may be
assumed that, beyond the essential crops of
maize, beans, and squash, some fraction of the
protein requirements of the human population
was derived from wildlife. To the degree that

this is true then, a form of wildlife manage-
ment is not implausible as an admixture to the
forest management suggested above.
Management in this case could mean as little
as official recognition of a certain forest or
forest type as productive for game, and active-
ly protected for that purpose.
S I

d legLulle v01 ule t lt La
s for the soil by Carlin

bosque maya, ayudan
en el suelo por Carlin

The landscape suggested by
current research and conjecture
taken from those early studies
is that the Maya forest was
never a vast sea of corn and
humanity, as one might expect
from the alleged magnitude of
the human population of the
Classic Period (c. 3 million).
Instead, the region was proba-
bly a mosaic of vegetative
cover, ranging from open fields
to closed canopy forests. In
fact, assuming rotational milpa
agriculture, and an abundance
of fallow, recovering plots,
forests, as opposed to planta-
tions, probably dominated the
scene. Such a landscape,

combined with the absence of
modern weapons, can easily predict the pres-
ence, even abundance, of vertebrate wildlife
species that today are considered endangered
or very vulnerable to extirpation.

At El Pilar, these observations and hypotheses
can be tested. Owing to pre-existing manage-
ment criteria for the land surrounding the
archeological sites, large-scale, long-term
manipulation schemes can be introduced that
will allow immediate benefits to local people
(harvests of forest products, for example) and
invaluable experimental data.

It is proposed that an area of several thousand
hectares on both sides of the frontier become
incorporated as an experimental landscape for
research into sustainable land use in the Maya
forest. The area and, especially, the configura-
tion of the proposed research polygon is not
given here. Importantly, it would include
substantial areas of highly disturbed cattle

land on the Belizean side, and the rural
communities found therein. Communities in
Belize and Guatemala would be drawn into
the experimental process, becoming integral to
it.

At the risk of speculating, the genre of
research expected for the area could be called
landscape ecology. This would be guided by
the findings and predictions of Maya archeolo-
gy to form a rare interdisciplinary relation-
ship. Initially, it would be necessary to
describe the ecology of the designated poly-
gon in some detail. Relationships between
major components of the landscapes, such as
seed dispersal, pollination patterns, and
animal migration, would be defined. With
such fundamental baseline data in place,
manipulative experiments could begin. These
would range from basic timber extraction, as
called for in the current Guatemalan forestry
concessions, to voluntary modifications to
cattle grazing regimens on the Belizean side.
With the scientific community present and
sensitized to the strengths, weaknesses and
aspirations of the local people, it is entirely
appropriate to seek at El Pilar a community-
scale experimental design.

Meanwhile, at the heart of the polygon would
be the protected archeological sites in both
countries, and development and interpretation
programs are underway or contemplated for
them. It is expected that gradually the educa-
tional attractions, combined with the growth
of traditional archeological research, and
research into landscape ecology and land use,
would bring increased international prestige
to the site of El Pilar. Importantly, it will also
bring new and eagerly-sought economic
investments into this very impoverished
region.

The Black Orchid is Belize's national flower by Carlin Moyer
Orquidea Negra, flor national de Belice por Carlin Moyer

Introduction
The Management Plan Team was responsible
for evaluating El Pilar to identify areas that
require professional and community involve-
ment. The interdisciplinary team began by
establishing goals and critical concerns as a
guide for the research and development
components, determining key steps necessary
to accomplish initiatives. Goals and concerns
of the Management Plan Team were devel-
oped to help guide the planning process and
are identified as follows:

Goals
* To consider sustainable management and
development strategies for El Pilar and
surrounding community.
* To expand the traditional scope creating a
Management Plan that is not just a govern-
ment instrument, but also a community
instrument.
* To design a Management Plan that can be
implemented feasibly and efficiently by two
countries.

Critical Concerns
* Economic development needs of the area are
multidimensional, and tourism should not
be the sole focus. Multi-strategy designs are
required to address economic development
initiatives.
* Tourism should not negatively affect the
community. The Management Plan should
include efforts to mitigate any negative
impact on local communities resulting from
tourism development.
* The community should participate in deter-
mining the type of tourism they would like
and what kind of impact is acceptable.
* The interpretive program should include
archaeological and environmental attrac-
tions. These aspects are interdependent and
should be so presented for the program to
be successful.

* The El Pilar Archaeological Reserve is one
resource owned by two countries. The
Management Plan should address a co-
management strategy.

The El Pilar Vision
The management team recognizes the diverse
interests associated with developing the El
Pilar Archaeological Reserve as a major cultur-
al and natural tourism destination in Belize
and Guatemala. To guide the decision-making
process, a written vision statement has been
developed to assist in meeting planning
demands. The vision is a hypothetical state-
ment used to establish standards and goals for
the El Pilar Archaeological Reserve and is as
follows:

1.The plan represents two sister nations, Belize
and Guatemala, working together to manage
a single cultural and natural resource.
2.El Pilar will serve as an example of multi-
disciplinary efforts to incorporate the needs
of visitors, villagers, tourism, and research
communities.
3.El Pilar will be a community development
program that will foster tourism initiatives
while sustaining local economic develop-
ment.
4.El Pilar managers will promote cultural and
natural conservation.
5.Social development will be the center focus,
guided and presented by the community.
6.The interpretive program will be compre-
hensive and represent an understanding of
people within the region, both past and
present.
7.Presentation of the education program will
be accessible and employ adequate visual
and other aids to be useful to those without
or with literacy skills.
8.The Management Plan will represent a
unique and holistic approach to planning,
interweaving relevant social and environ-
mental issues.
9.El Pilar archeologists will break away from
traditional research strategies by considering
critical input from local stakeholders and by
highlighting the diverse cultures of the
surrounding villages.

.O.The model plan relies on the substantive
participation of the community in land use
decisions as well as the establishment of
development incentives.
l1.The final Management Plan will serve as a
model that can be used by other agencies
and officials, regionally and beyond, for
successful implementation of multi-discipli-
nary management ambitions.

s/ El panel de planificaci6n y manejo present sus

management Plan Component
Fhe Management Plan Team understands the
diverse research and development themes of
he El Pilar vision. Integrated management of
:l Pilar as a shared resource is unique and
provides an opportunity for the plan to serve
s an example in managing research, develop-
nent, and interpretive programs. This
management objective is highly critical to the
future of the El Pilar Archaeological Reserve
development in the region. The Management
lan should consider community development
implications and promote stakeholders partici-
ation. The plan should also be a living and
egally-binding document used by the govern-
nents of Belize and Guatemala and the partic-
?ating managing agency as an ongoing guide
i decisions affecting the reserve. The list of
oncems that the Management Plan Team
believe should be addressed revolve around
he following subjects: culture, archeology,
archaeological conservation, natural resources,
economy, education, site planning, political

I. Culture
The cultural make-up of the surrounding
community is one reason tourists visit the
region. Decisions affecting the development
of El Pilar take into account of the local
communities and support the revitalization of
traditional cultural activities, such as arts and
crafts. Development issues should be
addressed in community meetings where local
populations have an appropriate forum to
address their concerns. Cultural issues identi-
fied by the Management Plan Team include:

1. Use of census studies from Belize and
Guatemala to identify basic demographic
characteristics of surrounding villages.
2. Conduct diagnostic demographic studies
(economic, physical and political) to be
used in the planning process.
3. Document the multi-cultural aspects of the
communities history (oral, photographical-
ly, and written) to help the revival of their
history.
4. Update historical studies of the local area.
5. Maintain visitor statistics to determine visi-
tation trends.
6. Information at the AdEP community visitor
center should include El Pilar (such as a
model of the monuments), community
history, local medicinal plants and agro-
forestry uses, and examples of community
arts and crafts.
7. Design an extractive use program for
forestry and agricultural resources that will
compliment sustainable agriculture meth-
ods demonstrated at El Pilar
Archaeological Reserve.

II. Archaeology
Archaeological monuments at El Pilar will be
the primary research instrument and the main
attraction for tourism. Development of the
archaeology should continue to be guided by
the professional archaeologists of the El Pilar
Program, under the direction of Dr. Anabel
Ford, in collaboration with other professionals
who join in the research efforts. The

Management Plan Team suggests an archaeo-
logical strategy be included in the
Management Plan and offers the following for
consideration:

1. Develop a plan to determine the nature of
the archaeological monuments at El Pilar,
an agenda of excavation priorities, and a
sequence of relevant conservation criteria.
2. Identify available funds to support excava-
tion (research sources), conservation
(national and international sources), and
maintenance (government and community
sources).
3. Develop a policy for the clearing of vegeta-
tion in relation to the monuments.
4. Develop policy for the protecting of cultur-
al resources from the impact of tourism.
5. Explore the possibility of restoring the
Maya pyramid and plaza located in Bullet
Tree Falls at the AdEP community visitor
center. This ancient temple has the oppor-
tunity to become the focal point for the
community and tourists who travel
through Bullet Tree Falls on the way to El
Pilar.

III. Archaeological Conservation
Archaeological conservation has a direct corre-
lation with long-term operational costs of
reserve management. The more ancient archi-
tectural structures that are uncovered and
stabilized, the greater costs will be to maintain
those structures. The concept we want to
promote is to expose structures that will lend
a benefit to the interpretation of the site and
can be maintained at a reasonable cost. The
Management Plan should include policies on
governing this principle.

The Management Plan Team offers the follow-
ing considerations in this area:

1. Evaluate existing and monitor changing
conditions in order to develop an archeo-
logical plan of action.
2. Design a strategy for conservation that
incorporates exposed and unexposed
monuments.

3. Define methodology and approach to
determine which structures should be
exposed and stabilized and which should
be covered.
4. Determine the practical maintenance
scheme of the architectural and agro-
forestry exhibits.
5. Articulate the maintenance program for the
Maya monuments within the forest
context.
6. Design a review process for completed
work.

IV. Natural Resources
The natural environment is another important
resource for research and interpretation which
contributes to the entire project. El Pilar has a
continuum of natural environments from high
stand forest, largely found in the Reserva de la
Biosfera Maya (RBM) in Guatemala, to the
cleared agricultural and pasture lands, domi-
nant around the El Pilar Archaeological
Reserve in Belize. The opportunity for agro-
forestry research aimed at how the Maya
maintained a sustainable forest in highly
populated regions is viable at El Pilar. Project
managers should capitalize upon the varied
agriculture opportunities offered by the site to
maximize research opportunities. The
Management Plan Team also realizes that
there is a delicate balance between current
agricultural methods and sustainable ecology.
Appropriate policies must be established that
will control these agricultural methods to
insure environmental conservation. The
Management Plan Team supports this concept
and suggests the plan outline research strategy
in this area. Research of the natural environ-
ment should include the following:

1. Consider the movements of animals and
the amount of land required to sustain the
protected plant and animal species.
2. Recognize a buffer zone around the core of
El Pilar should be designated to encompass
the reserve and surrounding areas as part
of the Multi Use Zone of the RBM and as a
Special Development Area (SDA) in Belize.
3. Incorporate a policy on forest management
for the buffer zone and forest clearance
along the roadway to El Pilar.

4. Consider the involvement of extension
offices from the Belize Department of
Agriculture to help with the management
of agro-forestry land within and surround-
ing El Pilar. Have them assist in designing
a policy on the use of exotic and native
plants and sustainable extraction of forestry
or agro-forestry products.
5. Inventory current and historic community
use of natural resources, geographic loca-
tions, and local names.
6. Document the number of farmers, types of
crops, and schedule of crop use/rotation.
7. Develop a community program for the
protection and restoration of the natural
resources and habitats.
8. Determine a policy for tree clearing at the
site with regard to archaeology and public
safety.
9. Promote a policy on sustainable hunting in
the buffer zone.
10. Monitor the contemporary human/envi-
ronmental relationships with reference to
sustainable practices.
11. Implement on-going assessment of human
interventions and influences on the envi-
ronment to inform policy on level of allow-
able visitation impact and capacity.

V. Economy
Short-term and long-term economic strategies
should be prepared with community develop-
ment in mind. Strategies have the potential to
greatly assist local villagers in their communi-
ty development initiatives and all villages that
will benefit from the development of El Pilar
should be involved in the decision making
process. This community-based approach to
economic development and site planning will
strengthen local commitment and allow
communities to grow at their own pace.
Community-based planning will also instill a
sense of stewardship and investment of the
community in El Pilar. This sense of pride
will carry over into other economic develop-
ment issues guided by local leaders. Ideas
that will strengthen the project and assist local
villagers are:

1. Development of a marketing study using
comparable situations and emphasizing the
unique aspects of El Pilar.
2. Use models of monuments as an interpre-
tive exhibit.
3. Develop a cost-benefit study for the reserve
and region. That is, the reserve may not be
self-supporting, but its development will
have economic benefit at the local and
regional levels. These need to be appreciat-
ed.
4. Design mechanisms to increase benefits
from the Ruta Maya and Mundo Maya
tourism programs that can be invested back
into archaeological sites.
5. Include security in budgets.

VI. Education
El Pilar planners realize the importance educa-
tion will play in the overall program at El
Pilar and in community development issues.
To facilitate the education efforts, the
Management Plan Team recommends that an
interpretive manual be developed that will
assist reserve rangers, managers, tour guides
and other personnel in delivering educational
services to visitors and the villages surround-
ing El Pilar. Through education, El Pilar will
be able to promote well trained personnel
facilitating a visitor experience that will be
lasting. The Management Plan Team recom-
mends the following be considered when
preparing the education plan:

1. Design a strategy for the El Pilar education-
al program which will serve as the founda-
tion for the development of a comprehen-
sive interpretive program.
2. Participate with governmental agencies
and non-governmental agencies (NGOs) to
educate the local community on the bene-
fits and shortfalls of tourism.
3. Promote the education of reserve adminis-
trators, hotel operators, guides, and other
service providers to establish the founda-
tion for the development of a comprehen-
sive interpretive program.

4. Encourage community involvement in
small-scale tourism related businesses (bed
& breakfast, restaurants, transportation,
and other public service establishments).
5. Participate in environmental and cultural
community education (including communi-
ty history).
6. Develop a regional pilot training program
for politicians and governmental officials
through the effective use of the media.

VII. Site Planning
Site planning will ultimately prepare the site
for visitors. Planning techniques should be
environmentally considerate, using local mate-
rials whenever possible. The site's characteris-
tics should depict the image portrayed in the
interpretive plan for El Pilar and be construct-
ed in an energy efficient manner. Professional
site planning will lend to circulation efficiency
and the enhancement of the overall character
of the site. Through appropriate design, the El
Pilar Archaeological Reserve will be laid out in
a manner that places emphasis on conserva-
tion of the environment, the principles of
human use, as well as park carrying capacity.
The Management Plan Team recommends the
following be considered:

1. Information gathering should indude all relative
site analysis information, cataloged in map form
either through traditional site analysis methodol-
ogy or through GIS (Geographical Information
Systems) format. This material should include
forest conditions, topography, soils, archaeology
and historical information, land use, pedestrian
and vehicular traffic patterns, and other informa-
tion relative to site development.
2. NGOs, such as Belize Enterprise for Sustainable
Technology (BEST) and Centro Maya, should
help to solicit stakeholder concerns in areas such
as land use zoning, development of arts and
crafts trades, and community training in the
benefits of tourism and professional develop-
ment.
3. There needs to be a Master Development Plan
for visitor facilities (rest rooms, rest pavilions,
parking, vendors, trash, and concession loca-
tions, etc.).

4. A program for service areas and maintenance
facilities must be developed.
5. Appropriate concession sites within the reserve
and community need to be provided.
6. Strategies need to be promoted to prevent devel-
opment along the entry road to the reserve.
These should be incorporated into the buffer
zone plans.
7. Signage and a circulation plan need to be
designed for the reserve.
8. A policy needs to be designed on vehides in the
reserve. Ideally, all vehides should be located
outside of the area except service and research
vehicles.
9. Plans should be made to direct through traffic
around the conservation area. In the meantime,
controlled access may be needed at entrances to
the reserve while the road remains as public
access.
10. Plan considerations should allow for expansion
of facilities such as museum needs, parking,
public facilities, administrative and maintenance
services.
11. A phasing plan needs to be devised that will
consider funding needs for development, facility
operations, and maintenance.

VIII. Political and Legal Issues
Political and legal components of the Management
Plan should concentrate on the relationships of
Belize and Guatemala. Since the reserve is recom-
mended to be managed as one resource located
between two nations, extra effort will be needed to
assure compliance with both countries governing
laws and regulations. The Management Plan Team
has relied upon the Political/Legal Team to address
and determine how to reconcile the differences
between the two nations. The following is offered
as an overview of the area of need:

1. Co-management of the site needs to be
addressed. It is recommended that both govern-
ments consider oversight/management by Non-
Govemmental Organizations (NGOs).
2. Concession policies should be developed for the
local community and the reserve. These policies
will assist in controlling sustainable develop-
ment principals.

IX. Research
Research is one of the primary reasons for
designating El Pilar as a protected area. The
research possibilities are continually evolving,
being defined, and modified. The possibility
of expanding the research to include agricul-
ture, agro-forestry, botany and other natural
sciences is phenomenal. It is encouraged that
the research be expanded to more comprehen-
sively include all relevant areas.
Recommendations in this area are:

1. Coordinate the permitting process for
researchers in Belize and Guatemala
through a reciprocal agreement and/or
advisory committee.
2. Promote a comprehensive system for
collecting, documenting, and archiving
research information and make it available
through a central location or facility, such
as a library.
3. Continue research on Maya agro-forestry.
4. Develop research on the sustainable use of
renewable construction materials (e.g. coro-
zo fronds, the subsidy from nature, used as
roofing material).

Introduction
The Mesa Redonda El Pilar was assembled to
initiate the development of a management
plan for shared cultural and natural resources
and to provide the technical basis for develop-
ing a proposal for implementation of the plan.
The group included archaeologists, conserva-
tionists, ecologists, park planning specialists,
landscape architects, community leaders,
government agency representatives, and attor-
neys. The round table was divided into work-
ing groups that included management and
physical planning, cultural and natural
resources, community development, and the
legal and institutional framework.

This report describes the contribution of the
legal working group. Commissioner John
Morris, of the Department of Archaeology in
Belize, and Milton Cabrera, the coordinator
the Consejo Nacional de Areas Protegidas
(CONAP) in Guatemala also contributed their
expertise to the legal working group. Support
for the legal working group's participation
was provided by the Tropical Ecosystem
Directorate of the United States Man and
Biosphere Program, the Ford Foundation and
the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur
Foundation.

Objective
The objective of the round table was to
advance the efforts to achieve integrated
administration for a cultural and natural
resource shared by two countries. This objec-
tive, its rationale, and the means of achieve-
ment were set out in a consensus statement of
the round table referred to as the Declaration
of the El Pilar Round table. This Declaration
includes the names and institutional affilia-
tions of the declarants and is included in this
publication.

Geopolitical Considerations
Joined by an ancient causeway, El Pilar's two
primary temple complexes between Cayo,
Belize and Peten, Guatemala, provide a
symbolism that far exceeds its scale. Although
the two countries currently enjoy cordial rela-
tions, longstanding territorial disputes have
tempered efforts to achieve full bilateral coop-
eration.

The portion of El Pilar reserved in Belize
comprises 808 hectares within Cayo District
and north of the village of Bullet Tree Falls.
The land surrounding the proposed reserve is
used by small agrarian milpa farmers and a
rapidly developing tourism economy in near-
by San Ignacio. The portion of El Pilar in
Guatemala lies within the Multiple Use Zone
of the Maya Biosphere Reserve in the
Municipality of Melchor, Peten. Only recently
discovered, a preliminary effort has been
undertaken to map the true extent of the site
in Guatemala.

posici6n en la reuni6n de Mexico: Dolores Balderamos-Garcia
nso Ortiz

Management Considerations
Archaeologists, conservationists, and anthro-
pologists working at El Pilar are seeking to
interpret the site in a unique and innovative
manner. The Maya inhabited the forest in
numbers estimated to be as great as ten times
the present population of the region, presum-
ably extracting resources in a sustainable fash-
ion for centuries until the civilization's eventu-
al decline. Integrating El Pilar into the fabric of
the broader community is a stated manage-

ment objective. Thus, the site's managers are
attempting to interpret ancient Maya lifestyle
by developing a modem Maya forest garden,
based on evidence of ancient Maya polyculti-
vation practices. Local villagers with tradition-
al knowledge are assisting in this effort.
Additionally, site researchers seek to transform
the interpretive emphasis on monumental
architecture in favor of an interpretation that
emphasizes the general way of life.

Site developers are also seeking to maintain
and restore a remnant of the contemporary
Maya forest, the storehouse of tropical biologi-
cal diversity that survived the ancient civiliza-
tion. Protected areas within the Maya forest
serve as refugia for the flora and fauna that
characterize this forest. Recent attention has
been focused on the role of these refugia, both
large and small, in a greater land use mosaic
that can sustain viable populations in the
Maya forest today.

Legal Considerations
To prepare for this effort, the attorneys from
Belize and Guatemala each drafted extensive
background papers on the respective legal and
institutional framework for cultural and natur-
al resource management in the two countries.
These vary at the most fundamental level.

As a former crown colony, Belize maintains
the tradition of the English Common Law. As
a former Spanish colony, Guatemala repre-
sents the tradition of the Roman Law.
Moreover, the official language of the two
countries are English and Spanish respectively.
Nonetheless, these distinctions have been
blurred in modem times. Most contemporary
environmental and natural resource law is
code-based, and although English may be the
official language of Belize, most Belizeans-
particularly in the vicinity of El Pilar are
conversant in the Spanish language. An imagi-
native approach to law was required.

Institutional Considerations
The mandate of the El Pilar round table to
develop a single management plan for a
resource shared by two countries presented a

unique challenge to the legal working group.
The group approached this challenge by seek-
ing a framework that could accommodate the
legal and administrative requirements of the
separate sovereigns involved. Such a frame-
work would provide for one management
plan implemented by two management units,
each representing the portion of the resource
located within each country.

Interestingly, the physical characteristics of the
shared site dovetail conveniently with its
administrative realities. That is, in El Pilar -
Belize, where the cultural resource presents a
management priority, the cultural resource
agency enjoys primary jurisdiction. In El Pilar
- Guatemala, where the natural resource repre-
sents the primary management concern, the
natural resource agency enjoys primary juris-
diction. To address management issues
common to both units, a coordinating commit-
tee comprising the appropriate representatives
from the governmental resource agencies, non-
governmental entities and community
involved in management would be established
to ensure coordination and consistency with
the agreed management plan by each manage-
ment unit.

Belize Management Unit
Archaeology of El Pilar
Belizean resource law provides flexibility in
terms of the institutional design for the Belize
management unit. Belize also has a strong
precedent for the delegation of management
authority for protected areas to non-govern-
mental institutions, exemplified by the
government's agreement with Belize Audubon
Society to manage six national protected areas.
However, this has never been done in the case
of archaeological reserves. Moreover archaeo-
logical reserves, as cultural patrimony, enjoy a
special status under Belizean law. Based on
the analysis provided the Belizean legal
expert, the legal working group concluded
that the best approach would be to develop a
co-management agreement between an appro-
priate NGO and the Department of
Archaeology, pursuant to a regulation

prepared by the Department. The NGO would
assume day to day management responsibility
for the site with the Department of
Archaeology exercising governmental over-
sight, providing security and other resources,
and participating in a proposed management
plan coordinating committee. A representative
of the local community would also serve on
the proposed committee.

Belizean law does not require the develop-
ment of a management plan for archaeological
sites prior to their establishment. Also, protect-
ed area management plans in Belize do not
have the force of law due to the absence of a
specific regulation to that effect. Nonetheless,
the working group agreed that it would be
preferable if the El Pilar Management Plan
had the imprimatur of law. Appropriate refer-
ence to the future adoption of the plan could
be provided in the subsidiary regulation
issued by the Department of Archaeology to
establish the Reserve In Belize, such regula-
tions are known as Statutory Instruments (SI).

Guatemala Management Unit
Ecology of El Pilar
In Guatemala, the management unit already
enjoys a measure of protected status. The site
lies within the Multiple Use Zone of the Maya
Biosphere Reserve. Jurisdiction over the
Reserve resides in CONAP. Activities
proposed within this zone must be consistent
with the laws and regulations governing
protected areas in Guatemala and with the
Master Plan for the Reserve adopted by
CONAP. The Master Plan presents a range of
options in the Multiple Use Zone including
concessions for resource extraction and other
activities by communities, commercial inter-
ests, and NGOs. However, as an archaeologi-
cal site, concurrent jurisdiction also resides in
IDAEH, the Instituto de Anthropologia e
Historia. A proposal to designate the temple
complex as an national monument in
Guatemala has recently been submitted to
IDAEH.

The working group concluded that the best
strategy for management of the Guatemala

management unit would be to have an appro-
priate NGO petition CONAP for a concession
to manage the cultural and natural resources
as a protected area under the provisions of the
protected areas law and its subsidiary regula-
tions, and conclude a similar management
agreement with IDAEH. Within CONAP, this
process requires an environmental impact
study and the approval of a five year manage-
ment plan and one year operational plan.

Integrated Administration
Despite a considerable literature promoting
the concept of binational parks throughout the
world, research has revealed no instances
where contiguous protected areas reflected
truly integrated management across national

Tina Gurucharri and Milton Cabrera discuten planes para El Pilar
borders. Thus, achieving the plan for El Pilar
can represent a true innovation in contempo-
rary protected areas management. To address
management issues common to both manage-
ment units, the legal working group conclud-
ed that a "soft management" coordinating
committee should be established.

Such a management committee could be
comprised of the appropriate representatives
from the governmental resource agencies, non-
governmental entities and communities from
both countries involved in management deci-
sion making. The committee would meet regu-

larly to ensure coordination and consistency
with the agreed management plan by each
management unit, and make recommenda-
tions concerning the plan's implementation. In
addition, the working group recommended
the establishment of a multidisciplinary tech-
nical advisory board composed of individuals
with an interest and expertise in the manage-
ment issues confronting El Pilar. The advisory
board would sit in a voluntary capacity to
advise on an as-needed basis. This manage-
ment framework would include formal mech-
anisms for the resolution of management
conflicts at the site.

Conclusion
The legal working group concluded that the
integrated management of the shared cultural
and natural resource represented by El Pilar
could be achieved within the existing legal
framework of Guatemala and Belize. New
legislation will not be required nor does bilat-
eral implementation necessarily require a
specific international treaty instrument.
Instead, integrated management can be
achieved by developing one management plan
that can be implemented by two management
units representing the portions of the reserve
within each country. Some diplomatic recogni-
tion, such as an exchange of notes, would
undoubtedly bolster efforts to achieve inte-
grated management, and could be accom-
plished within the broader framework of a
cultural exchange agreement.

There remain significant issues to be resolved
relating to the form and nature of the delega-
tions to non-governmental organizations, the
forms of international cultural exchange agree-
ments, financial mechanisms, community
participation, site security, reciprocal arrange-
ments for cross-border visitation and research,
appropriate mechanisms to resolve disputes,
etc. Nonetheless, the key determination at this
juncture in the planning process is that inte-
grated management of a shared cultural and
natural resource is feasible and that an institu-
tional framework can be crafted within which
details can be addressed.

The El Pilar Program has research and devel-
opment priorities that stem from the evolving
role of collaborative participants. The results
of the Mesa Redonda El Pilar provided the
foundation for the program's international and
multidisciplinary character, still in its incep-
tion, yet all components are firmly established.
The ideal plan is conceived as a five year
program with full funding, bringing the
model to fruition with the dawn of the 21st
century. While there is tremendous enthusi-
asm among a growing number of enlightened
professionals, funding is still the most precari-
ous aspect of the program's future. The vitality
of the program depends on support, and the
appeal here is to develop a secure support
base that can bring the unique vision for El
Pilar to full realization.

The priorities of the program are necessarily
focused on the archaeology and how it
informs and relates to the other components of
the program. Consequently, the major atten-
tion initially will be on the archaeology and
companion components which can be immedi-
ately incorporated into that arena. These
include community participation, agriculture,
conservation, and tourism. Support for initial
phases have come primarily from the develop-
ment sector and include the Government of
Belize, US Agency for International
Development, MacArthur Foundation, and
Ford Foundation.

As the momentum builds, more and diverse
funding sources should emerge as the level of
participant involvement across components
perceive goals more clearly. In addition, the
nature of the program will ultimately require
direct participation of the governments where
El Pilar is situated. Major sources of interna-
tional funding come from the World Bank,
Inter American Development Bank, the

European Union, USAID, to name a few.
These organizations have experience in the
archaeological arena in Central America.
Participation at this level will strengthen the
ability to bring the development goals of site
conservation, community involvement, and
tourism into focus. Government attention will
also enhance private sector involvement local-
ly and regionally, thus fueling ecotourism. As
the program evolves and is consummated, the
chronicle of the success will represent an
important replicable conservation model for
the developing world.

The following itemization is based on the
development of a five year program with a
basic annual budget of $1,229,000 US and
associated infrastructural investment base of
$1,400,000 US.